'Political stunt': Cair slams Texas governor for threatening airports that install ablution stations for Muslims

The largest Muslim civil rights organisation in the US slammed the governor of Texas on Monday for his threats to withhold funding to airports in the state that build spaces to accommodate practising Muslims.

"Of all the silly controversies that @GregAbbott_TX has manufactured about Muslims over the past year, the airport washing station outrage might be the most ridiculous. And hypocritical," the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair) wrote on X on Monday.

The Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport on Friday cancelled a project to install an ablution station that can be used by Muslims before they go through the international terminal's airport security.

This followed a threat by hardline Republican Governor Greg Abbott to withhold state grants to airports taking part in any similar projects.

Airports in the US are typically state-run in the pre-security section that is open to the public, and federally run in the post-security section, which is exclusively for ticket-holding travellers.

"My office is actively reviewing all grants to any local governmental entities involved in these schemes for possible revocation of past grant money and cancellation of any future funds that have been dedicated by my Office," the governor said in a letter to the airport authority.

"Upon accepting any grant award from the State, recipients are required to certify compliance with all state and federal laws—including prohibitions on impermissible government discrimination—whether based on race, sex, religion, or otherwise."

Abbott has tried to halt most projects in the state that accommodate Muslims, and called the project "illegal" in a separate letter addressed to the US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, as well as US attorney general Todd Blanche on Friday.

"These facilities appear designed to single out one subset of the population for special treatment based on religion. I am unaware of either airport installing standalone facilities to meet the particular needs of the many other religious groups represented across Texas," Abbott wrote.

He demanded that the Trump administration review all existing accommodations for Muslims at both the Dallas and Houston airports.

'Favor one religion over the other'

"Keep in mind that Governor Abbott is currently trying to force K-12 students in Texas public schools to read (his preferred version of) the Bible and require teachers to post the Ten Commandments (that some prominent politicians routinely ignore) in every classroom," Cair wrote on X.

"Unlike those unconstitutional attempts to favor one religion and impose it on schoolchildren, the washing station at DFW Airport would be a universally accessible and perfectly legal amenity. Washing stations already exist at various airports and anyone can use them," the group explained.

Cair has been a frequent target for Abbott, who reportedly relies on an anti-Muslim think tank to present him with proposals to dismantle it.

Abbott designated Cair as a terrorist organisation last year. Cair has taken the matter to court.

"Instead of wasting taxpayer resources on this latest anti-Muslim political stunt, Governor Abbott should focus on the state’s real problems under his leadership, from harmful data centers to school shootings to economic inequality to the erosion of religious freedom," Cair said on Monday.

Most large airports in the US have quiet interfaith spaces used by travellers wishing to carry out formal prayer sessions or just meditate.

But the Dallas area, in particular, has one of the largest Muslim-American populations in the country.

Prayer and public life

There is already at least one ablution station beyond the security gates in the international terminal at DFW, so the notion is not new, but the announcement of an impending second project caused outrage among right-wing media and conservative groups last week.

Ablution stations feature low-level faucets next to a stool, so that feet can be washed before the five daily obligatory prayers for practising Muslims.

Yasir Qadhi, a world-renowned imam based in the Dallas area, urged Abbott to reconsider in a Facebook post on Saturday.

"Muslims are not asking airports to endorse Islam. They are asking for the same principle that has long guided our nation: people of different faiths should be able to practice their sincerely held beliefs while participating fully in public life," he said.

"As Texans, we all benefit when our public institutions are welcoming to everyone. Protecting the religious liberty of one community strengthens the religious liberty of every community."

The same day, President Donald Trump shared a news story about the cancellation of the project on his Truth Social platform, but did not add comment.

Laura Loomer, a notoriously anti-Muslim podcaster, attached a screenshot of the president's post and wrote, "We really need Trump to unleash on the Muslims again like he did during his first term. We are so close. I pray everyday for him to go ballistic on them."